first posting and don’t really know what I’m doing. Diagnosed with a large grade 3 tuimour and 2 positive nodes in June last year. Currently taking tamoxifen and having terrible menopausal symptoms. On the recommendation of several breast care nurses asked my docotor to try me on nolvadex d which she did with great reluctance for a month. She said she would be worried if it reduced my symptoms as it would mean it wasn’t working as well as other brands at suppressing oestrogen. That got me worried. She was however, willing to prescribe me a load of other drugs to counteract the side effects. Is anyone taking nolvadex and has it made a difference?
Just taken my first pill Julie after being on generic brands and suffering like you for a year. 45 years old and def premenopausal…regular periods etc. BC nurse recommended I change and consultant wouldn’t hear of it. Doctors finally gave in after a year of my asking. Think they were sick of me. Might be my imagination but I didn’t feel windy after it. I would belch for ages after taking generic. That’s on top of other unpleasant side effects. Too soon to say. I would query her comments on it not being effective if you didn’t have side effects. Bc nurse said some ladies prefer it and doctors insist there is no difference so how can it be less effective???
Hi Julie,
I’ve been on Nolvadex since Day One, so can’t compare ( I’m having my treatment privately and was able to choose the brand. My GP is fine with this).
I was rather suprised to hear your doctor say that she would be concerned if you stopped having the side effects as it would mean the treatment was not working. Been on Tamoxifen for about 8 months now and when I first started, I trawled through every forum and website to learn as much as I could about Tamoxifen and how other women managed with the side-effects. I’ve never heard of anyone saying what your doctor said!!! Many women are on Tamoxifen and do not suffer from any side-effects whatsoever! Does this mean their treatment is ineffective? I think they are just fortunate!
Is it your GP who says this? If so, please consider changing doctors! It’s your life and your body. Don’t be afraid to stand up and shout for what you want!!
Best of luck and I hope very much that you start feeling better soon.
love,
Jacki xx
many thanks for the replies. It was my GP who was reluctant to prescribe but not my regular one. Plan to go see my preferred GP before my prescription runs out. Chemist said the diffference in price for generic and nolvadex was only £3 a month so don’t know what all the fuss was about. Anyway glad to know others have taken it successfully. I am having really bad syptoms which seem to have got much worse the last few weeks - it’s bad enough having a disease which is likely going to kill me without having my last few years ruined by horrendous side effects. I have four older sisters who have been through the menopause and none of them had so much as a hot flush so I was planning to sail through mine. Sorry to be negative but feeling low and needed to moan to somebody.
Hi Julie
If you feel that you would like some more support, Breast Cancer Care have many other services which may interest you. One example is ‘Live chat’ which is a one hour session, this gives you the chance to chat to others in real time on Thursday evenings between 9-10pm.
For more details about this and other services click on the ‘Support for you’ tab at the top of this page or call our helpline on 0808 800 6000 for more information. The helpliners can offer you support, advice and lend an ear if you have any concerns and need to talk things through, you can call between 9am-5pm Mon-Fri and 9am-2pm Sat.
Best wishes
Lucy
Moderator
Breast Cancer Care
Yes Julie, I certainly feel that Nolvadex D has made a big difference to me.
Linda x